Saturday, March 2, 2013

Let It Snow!


Here in middle Tennessee we are getting a reminder that winter is not ready to leave us just yet. Yesterday and today we've had snow and sleet. This little guy says it all.





The gardens have been blanketed by about an inch of snow. Not enough to fully cover everything, but I have to admit it is pretty!




The snow always seems to bring more birds out. My hubby went out to make sure all the feeders were full! On the bench in the foreground you can see the Mockingbird waiting for his new apple!




Of course he had three of his helpers with him!





We always have Blue Jays in the garden, but today they were everywhere! This was also the first time I'd seen a Jay eat some apple. Unfortunately, I was not quick enough with the camera to capture the shot!




The peanut feeder is just to the right of this structure. They were waiting for my hubby to fill it!




Look closely...the two Mockingbirds are facing off over the apples.




As you've seen before, we have a lot of Cardinals!



Now even though it was snowing and sleeting yesterday, my hubby and I went to the Nashville Lawn and Garden Show. I look forward to this event every year. I bought one Bartzilla Tree Peony, six Salvias and eight Daylilys. Then we visited Home Depot where I bought an "Emerald Heights" Distylium (evergreen Witch Hazel). Next was Bates Nursery (my personal favorite) where I bought two Sonic Bloom Red Weigelas.  They are all waiting patiently in the garage until April 15th (our last frost date) when they will be planted! We laughed and laughed because it was so funny to be buying shrubs as the snow and sleet beat down on us!! I think I'm obsessed with gardening....and that's not a bad thing!

Happy Gardening!

Words and Photos Property of Christy's Cottage Wildlife Garden.

40 comments:

  1. Perfect capture of all the snow. It is very pretty. So are those cardinals! Thanks for picking up my distylium too. Can't wait to see how they do in our gardens! And that 'Bartzella' wowser on it!

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    1. Hi Tina...we were glad to pick up the Distylium for you. I'm so glad you saw them and told us. I know right where I'm going to plant mine. I'd never heard of the Bartzilla before until I read about it on a fellow bloggers post. The one I got looks real healthy and is already almost two feet tall! I can't wait to plant everything!

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  2. Great pics! Its so nice to see how many different birds you have on the east coast! Do you have hawks? We have alot in our area. We had to take the bird feeder down in the backyard because hawks would just wait in the trees and when birds went to the feeder, they would fly down and get them!

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    1. Hi Kathy....Yes, we have quite a few hawks that stop by. I usually know when one is around because there is an "alarm call" put out and all the other birds scatter into the bushes and trees. I've never seen a hawk get one of the birds, but they do try. That's sad that you had to take down your feeder. Maybe it would work if it's closer to the house! Thanks for stopping by!

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  3. Great pictures, you did a wonderful job capturing the blue jays and cardinals. The blues and red look so much more striking with all the white snow in the shot.

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    1. Hello! Thanks so much for your comments. I agree that the colors are very striking against the white backround. Thanks for visiting!

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  4. The snow cover is lovely, but it sounds like you are getting geared up for spring!

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  5. Hi sweetbay....yes, I'm trying to find good things to say about the snow. It does look pretty when it's covering the tips of the evergreens. However, I am really ready for spring. I have the plants I bought yesterday, cuttings I took in fall that are now ready to plant and seeds to sow. Plus, I'm looking forward to putting all my yard art, tables, pillows, etc out in the spring. Also, I really want to continue work on the Big Surprise for Morrow Park. Thanks for stopping by!!

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  6. Pretty. Love the cardinals in the snow. I wasn't sure you got snow much in your area. Not surprised you went to the garden show still. I'm sure you got some great ideas!

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    1. Hello! Yes, we always get some wonderful ideas from the garden show! Plus, they always have some great plants for very inexpensive prices. We also bought a couple of birdhouses and a concrete rabbit for the garden! Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  7. The garden is so pretty in the snow, Christy. Your bird visitors come out in numbers and are so pretty 'decorating' the gardens. I think they are as pretty as any of the flowers.

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    1. Thanks so much Donna! I have to admit the birds really stand out against the white snow! I was very excited to see the Blue Jay eating the apple. I'm going to put out another peanut feeder and this one will be in a place that I can photograph from my window. The Jays love those peanuts and I should get some good shots of them! Thanks for visiting!

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  8. Christy your garden wears the snow well and puts on a show. Our garden shows in March always seem to happen in the worst weather making the dreams more intense for flowers in spring.

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    1. Thank you so much Donna. I agree about the garden shows. Seeing all the beautiful flowers, garden art and landscaping makes me look forward to spring more than ever! Thanks for dropping by!

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  9. Snow! No wonder you're not seeing Azalea buds! Ask me again mid-April if you don't see buds swelling. What kind of Azaleas do you have?

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    1. Hi there! OK...I went out and did a very close inspection. I am happy to report that I do see very small buds...whew...I was worried! I have one Encore-Autumn Angel and three Encore-Autumn Debutante. Two of the Autumn Debutante's are the ones by the Camellia and they are about seven years old. I never trim them. My problem is that I don't have much shade or I would have a lot more Camellias and Azaleas. I really like them! Thanks for stopping by!

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  10. How fun to buy new plants - I do the same thing and have had several plants in the garage all winter just waiting patiently. Love the blue jays, waiting for the feeders to be refilled! :) It seems this winter doesn't want to give up and let spring reign. I'm hoping now that it's March, winter will get a clue and let go!

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    1. I totally agree....it's time for winter to say bye-bye! Doesn't it know that we have holes to dig and plants to plant??!! :-) We just put up another peanut feeder that we can see from the windows. I'm hoping to get some really good shots of the Jays!! Thanks so much for dropping by!

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  11. Finally a big snowstorm headed our way tonight. Although shoveling is not a favorite activity we desperatly need the moisture..... and spring can stop by anytime soon...;)

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    1. Hi tb....be careful in that snow! I agree, spring can definitely stop by anytime soon!! Thanks for visiting!

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  12. I have some apples that are a bit too hard for my preference so I think I'll give them to the birds. :o) We might get a good dumping of snow this week and I can hardly wait! I LOVE snow! Do you have a heated birdbath? They are great for attracting birds and help prevent dehydration in the winter. The birds love them. :o)

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    1. Hi there!! Yes, I bet the birds would love those apples!! We do have a heated birdbath. We actually have five birdbaths, but we only heat one of them. You are right, the birds really appreciate it! It sounds like you really like wildlife in your garden....is your garden a certified wildlife habitat? If not, it's very easy to do. If you're interested let me know and I'll give you the details. Thanks for stopping by!

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  13. Your place and birds look lovely in snow. I imagine it will soon be melted. Ours is almost all melted.

    Have fun getting your plants in!

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    1. Hi Sue....thank you so much! Do you have more snow in your forecast? I really hope this is it for us. I'm ready for some warm sunshine!! Thanks for visiting!!

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  14. Oh, that photo of the cardinals in the tree is wonderful. I have cardinals in my garden too but some days I never see any and then others they seem to be in every tree or shrub I look at. That bright pop of red is such a welcome sight. Thanks for sharing your snowy bird photos.

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    1. Hi Debbie....thanks so much! There are certain birds I see in the garden every day such as Cardinals, Blue Jays, Mockers, Juncos, sparrows, robins, Chickadees, Crows, Doves, House Finches, Goldfinches and lately Starlings, Red Wing Blackbirds and Grackles. Almost every day I see Titmouse, Bluebirds, Flickers and Twohees. Of course when the Hummers come back I will see them everyday while they're in the area. Every now and then we see Hawks, Woodpeckers, Cowbirds, Brown Creepers, Grosbeak, Purple Martins, Meadowlarks, Barn Swallows, vultures (in the meadow) and woodpeckers. So, there is always beautiful wildlife to keep us company in the garden. Thanks for stopping by!

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  15. I don't think we're expecting snow, but it's been cloudy, cold, and windy. We were supposed to get into the 40s today, but I don't think we made it. We are expecting some 50s later in the week. I have next week off, and hope to cut last year's growth off of a lot of the plants.

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    1. Hi Sue...I'd much rather have it sunny and cold than cloudy, cold and windy. We've had the latter for several days and boy am I tired of it. Today we expect thunderstorms which always scare me. I really hope you get some nice weather next week so you can get out into your garden. I was able to get outside a couple of weeks ago and did the same thing....still more to cut, but it was a beginning! Thanks for stopping by!

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  16. That is a lot of cardinals! Love a garden that attracts birds.

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    1. Hi Carol...I'm so glad you stopped by. We plant flowers and shrubs that will attract wildlife plus we feed the birds year round! The birds bring us so much pleasure.

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  17. I know you showed a picture of the cardinals previously, but I am just as impressed this time. They really light up the winter scene! I have been trying to resist glossy catalogues and early plant purchases. I have no garage and so I always find it hard to keep these early purchases going until spring. It is tempting though! Sounds like you have a nice list of additions for this year's garden.

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    1. Hi Jennifer. Not having a garage would really make early purchases tough! I just couldn't pass up the wonderful plants we bought. I'm "itching" to go out today and look for more, but it's just an awful day here, so I probably won't. I need a lot of shrubs for Morrow Park and just can't wait to get working on it! Thanks for stopping by!!

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  18. The snow does create that winter wonderland effect. Still we got over 12 inches yesterday which is a little hard on my aching back...:)

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    1. Oh My!!! 12 inches of snow...I think I would pass out!! Take care of that back! Glad you stopped by!

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  19. Hi Christie, I love your photo of the cardinals in the snowy tree! Those birds know where the best dining is! You have been bit by the gardening bug, and we all know it is incurable. It could be worse. I always tell my husband to be grateful it's not cigarettes, booze, or shoes!

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    1. Yes....I got the bug many, many years ago from my father. I'm glad too because I think it keeps us young at heart and it's something we can do well into our golden years!! Thanks for stopping by!

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  20. Christy, that shot of the cardinals is amazing! I don't think I've seen that many males in a tree at our place, and we have a lot of them here. Very pretty photos!

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    1. Hi Kylee...I'm so glad you stopped by! We have a lot of Cardinals that live and visit our gardens! There is a picture in a previous post with over 30 Cardinals in that tree. They really like it here!

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  21. Christy, I'm always surprised by how cold it gets in Tennessee ... I'm glad you're able to do some garden shopping even though the ground is frozen! Always happy to see you on my corner of Katy!

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    1. Hi Cindy....here in middle Tennessee our temps dip into the teens. We've been here eight years and once it got into the single digits. Even frozen ground can't stop me from buying plants....in fact, I bought more shrubs yesterday! Thanks for stopping by!

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